What If Spurs' Victor Wembanyama Signs Richest NBA Rookie Extension?

Now that the new CBA is in place, NBA contracts are only getting richer, and luckily for Victor Wembanyama, his rookie extension timeframe lines up well with the expected increase of revenue and overall wealth across the league.

San Antonio Spurs fans, let's play a game. 

Now that the new NBA collective bargaining agreement is in effect for this season, basketball money is only going to continue to grow in quantity. More TV deals means more money to go around the league, which means higher cap space and ultimately richer contracts. 

Boston Celtics shooting guard Jaylen Brown was the first to see the implications of the NBPA's new agreement with the league, notching the first $300 million contract in NBA history this offseason over the next five years. 

And while that's an incredible amount of money — Brown will be making more than a million dollars a week on average for the next five calendar years — his contract is just the beginning of where the league is trending. 

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is in a prime position to sign the league's first $400 million contract in a few seasons, which could start to become the norm by the end of the CBA cycle ... but where does that leave the Spurs?

They're undoubtedly going to look to No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama to propel their offense and rejuvenate their playoff hopes, but if he pans out and is able to do that, he's going to need to be compensated for his impact — and the Spurs won't disagree with that. 

But that's where the game comes in: How much could he be realistically paid, while still being confined to a rookie-level contract? And could that still make him the highest-paid player in Spurs history? 

In short, the answer to the latter question is yes. Wembanyama could end up becoming one of the richest NBA prospects in league history, especially given the market that San Antonio is in, which doesn't pertain to its size. 

In a recent CBA analysis, CBS Sports put together a compact list of expected contracts with every year of the new agreement. Each season, all NBA teams can increase their salary cap by 10 percent, which on its own increases the potential money for any player on the roster, let alone the superstars. 

"Supermax contracts that kick in for the 2027-28 season are the first batch expected to hit $400 million [in NBA history]," the site wrote. "The group of players we need to look for are players currently on rookie extensions who are slated for free agency in the summer of 2028."

Wembanyama doesn't fall into that category just yet. He's not even through his initial rookie contract — but then again, this exercise is entirely hypothetical. Either way, because of his age, the Spurs forward wouldn't be eligible for a full supermax contract. He'd need more league experience before being able to sign a non rookie-level deal with San Antonio. 

But in the meantime, his rookie extension could already take him to new levels. 

Wembanyama is set to sign an extension in the summer of 2026, which would round out his four-year rookie deal worth nearly $54 million. And with the expected level of salary cap increase, here's what that rookie extension could look like: 

2026-27 Season: $45,260,987.75 

2027-28 Season: $48,881,866.77

2028-29 Season: $52,792,415.75

2029-30 Season: $57,015,809.00

2030-31 Season: $61,577,073.70

Total: $265,528,152.97 over 5 years

Since Wembanyama would be signing the Spurs — his original team — he'd be eligible for a eight percent salary increase, with the first year being 25 percent of San Antonio's total salary cap — the typical amount for a maximum extension, rookie or not. 

But let's make things slightly more interesting. 

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant may have missed out on the All-NBA conversation this year after missing significant time with his suspension, but if he had played consistently, it wouldn't have been far-fetched for him to make any of the three All-NBA teams. And if he had, his 25 percent allowance would have instantly increased to 30 percent. 

So using the "Ja Boost," we can increase Wembanyama's rookie extension, assuming he plays at an All-NBA level like he's expected to. Here's what that looks like: 

2026-27 Season: $47,524,037.10

2027-28 Season: $51,325,960.10

2028-29 Season: $55,432,036.54

2029-30 Season: $59,866,599.45

2030-31 Season: $64,655,927.39

Total: $278,804,560.58 over 5 years 

Already, Wembanyama is not only nearing $300 million range on a rookie extension, but he's also much higher than Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and even Kawhi Leonard — who would have seen a slight increase because of his newer contracts.

So, question answered. Wembanyama could feasibly become the highest-paid player in Spurs history, putting him on par with other NBA stars with full supermax extensions. But unfortunately, not much can be told about what goes on beyond that contract. 

The NBA's current CBA expires following the 2029-30 season, meaning that if all goes well, contracts could get even richer — and yes, you heard that right — but they could also get scaled down. TV revenue, team performance and overall league wealth could all play a role in that, though assuming Wembanyama pans out as he's expected to, his next contract after that could be well into the $400 million dollar range and beyond.

So, despite him not having played a single game, the idea of signing Wembanyama on a long-term deal beyond his initial contract isn't out of the question. In fact, it seems to be almost guaranteed, especially if the Spurs stay loyal to him as he develops. 

San Antonio fans will have to wait and see, but however it shakes out, Wembanyama won't be having dealing with any kind of financial hardship anytime soon.

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